Despite the plethora of research on widening participation in the last 20 years, access to the arts and humanities has remained relatively under-explored, especially in relation to the preparedness of adult learners. This article reports a case study investigating the impact of an arts and languages Access module at the UK Open University. Findings from interviews with 37 Access students were analysed in relation to four themes: the need for Access preparation; generic studentship skills; discipline-specific skills; intrinsic enjoyment and interdisciplinary study. We conclude embedded generic skills enhance learner confidence and time management, while academic literacy skills relevant to the arts and humanities enhance cultural capital and enable disadvantaged learners to access challenging disciplines. The impact of a preparatory arts and humanities module extends into the lives of individual students, suggesting a counter-narrative to the prevailing, ‘economic value’ paradigms of higher education policymakers.

尽管在过去的20年中进行了大量有关扩大参与的研究，但艺术和人文科学的获取仍相对未得到充分开发，尤其是在成人学习者的准备方面。本文报道了一个案例研究，调查了英国公开大学艺术和语言访问模块的影响。针对以下四个主题分析了对37名Access专业学生的访谈发现：通用的学生技能；特定学科的技能；内在享受和跨学科研究。我们得出结论，嵌入式通用技能可以增强学习者的信心和时间管理能力，而与艺术和人文学科相关的学术素养技能则可以增强文化资本，并使处境不利的学习者可以选择具有挑战性的学科。